Syfy renews Helix, greenlights 12 Monkeys series & tv adaptation of Legion

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Syfy is going back to the Arctic with Helix. The NBCUniversal-owned cable network has renewed the killer virus drama for a second season.

The drama, which premiered Jan. 10 at 10 p.m., centers on Centers for Disease Control pathologist Dr. Alan Farragut (The Killing's Billy Campbell) and his estranged ex-wife, Dr. Julia Walker (Kyra Zagorsky), when they're sent to the Arctic to investigate a mysterious disease outbreak. Season two will return in the winter (first-quarter) 2015 with 13 episodes.

The series, from Battlestar Galactica's Ron Moore and Lost's Steven Maeda, the latter of whom serves as showrunner, opened to 1.8 million viewers in January, growing 65 percent in live-plus-3 DVR returns to 2.8 million and shattering network ratings in total viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. When factoring in seven-day delayed viewing, Helix set network records and grew 82 percent among adults 18-49, 74 percent among adults 25-54 and 64 percent in total viewers -- the largest increases ever for a Syfy scripted series in live-plus-7 returns.

Helix has averaged 2.1 million total viewers, 1.1 million adults 25-54 and 1 million adults 18-49.

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Syfy has given a series order to 12 Monkeys, a drama based on the 1995 Universal Pictures film directed by Terry Gilliam. The project, written/co-executive produced by Terry Matalas & Travis Fickett (Nikita) has received a 12-episode order for a January 2015 premiere. 12 Monkeys was one of two pilots most recently ordered by Syfy. The other, Bryan Fuller’s High Moon, is not going forward.

12 Monkeys, from U12 Monkeys - Pilotniversal Cable Prods. and Atlas Entertainment, producer of the movie, follows the journey of a time traveler (Aaron Stanford) from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will eventually decimate the human race.

Amanda Schull, Noah Bean and Kirk Fickett also star. Natalie Chaidez (V) serves as showrunner and executive produces alongside Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven and Richard Suckle. Jeffrey Reiner directed and executive produced the pilot. “12 Monkeys is a captivating time travel adventure and high stakes race against the clock,” said Syfy president Dave Howe. The pickup of 12 Monkeys comes on the heels of Syfy renewing Ron Moore’s drama Helix for a second season and announcing a return to the longform arena with event series Ascension as the network is shifting towards more serialized fare in the tradition of “space opera” Battlastar Galactica. 12 Monkeys also joins another recently ordered new Syfy series based on a movie, Dominion, adaptation of the feature Legion.

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Things are starting to move quickly at Syfy. In one of the fastest turnarounds at the cable network — known for its lengthy, laborious decision-making process — Dominion has been picked up to series a mere four months after it was greenlighted to pilot.

The series, from Universal Cable Prods. and Bold Films, will be filmed in Cape Town, South Africa for a 2014 premiere. “Dominion will continue Syfy’s new strategy to commission stand-out genre series that deliver the high-stakes, sci-fi/fantasy experience our audience demands and embraces,” said Syfy president Dave Howe.

Based on characters from the 2010 feature Legion, Dominion is an epic supernatural syfydrama set in the year 25 A.E. when an army of lower angels, assembled by the archangel Gabriel, has waged a war of possession against mankind. The archangel Michael, turning against his own kind, has chosen to side with humanity against Gabriel. Rising out of the ashes of the 25-year-long battle are newly fortified cities which protect the human survivors.

Dominion stars Christopher Egan, Tom Wisdom, Roxanne McKee, Alan Dale, Anthony Stewart Head and Luke Allen-Gale. Scott Stewart, who co-wrote and directed Legion, directed the pilot and executive produces with the film’s producers Michel Litvak and David Lancaster of Bold Films and the pilot’s writer Vaun Wilmott. Film Afrika serves as the local production entity in South Africa.

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